December 26, 2004 at 10:29 PM

Another busy Christmas season has come and gone! I got my white Christmas, which until Christmas eve was looking to be pretty unlikely. This Christmas month of December brought a bunch of new and different experiences and things to make me busy. All different from every other year so far. I have a job, and I worked to help get ready for the Christmas festivities, I started teaching more then just my one private student, and am teaching as a teacher at the local music school, bringing all sorts of different things into the mix of teaching, since it's not at my own home. I had new concert experiences this year. I didn't have as many concerts, which was a nice relief, but the ones I had brought new challenges to me. An interesting one being the new challenge and excitement of leading suzuki groups, accompanying suzuki groups, and then doing something, personally challenging in my own growth as musician. Bach and a contemporary Canadian work, both unaccompanied, playing them one right after the other, and by memory. I have done stuff by memory to be sure, I've done that tons, but not two totally contradictory works from two completely centuries and styles and techniques, and having them both be unaccompanied. Somehow it puts a little more pressure on ones self, you have no pianist to fall back on if things go wrong. When you are up there and settled though, the feeling is like none other, especially when you know that you know the pieces.

So I will reflect a bit on this Christmas season. I'm thankful for the friends and family who I've been able to spend time with and for all the different things I've gotten to do. From baking a gingerbread house from scratch and decorating gingerbread houses with friends, to watching classic Christmas films that I hadn't seen in years, and watching some that we watch every year. The Christmas lights on houses and decorations. The snow or lack of it. The smell of baking and the warmth of walking into someones house. All of these things that make all the difference each season, that make Christmas, Christmas. The presents aren't what matter, but even in the ritual of finding the right present for each person on your list, you try to find something that you know will make them smile and that will suit them to a T. Be it a humorus picture of a moose, painted completely out of perspective, or a new shirt, each gift should be, and is chosen with each individual in mind. Sometimes it would be nice to have Christmas all year around, but then we would lose the sentiment of this time of year and the love and work and effort that goes into this holiday.

I hope everyone had a Christmas season, whether they celebrate Christmas or not, no matter the race, color or culture. I hope everyone went out of their way to say something meaningful to someone they love and have made resolutions to better themself in someway in the new year.
A toast, or a note played to everyone who reads this. May you have a great New Year full of new, unexpected, challenging, exciting things. May the new year bring another chance to complete a project you vowed to finish this year, but didn't quite make it, and may we remember that wherever we are, we are blessed because there is always someone going through worse things then we can imagine. I think of the earth quake in Asia from yesterday, and the huge loss and amount of devastion and mourning and horros that are being experienced there. It makes me thankful to live where I do and know that I can go to bed and wake up again and know that my family is still there and my neighbors houses are still there. God bless everyone. Have a safe, wonderful, reflective new year.

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December 26, 2004 at 10:29 PM

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